The idea
We want to involve as many members of our community as possible in this exciting venture, potentially 200 as performers, 600 as audience and 500 as part of our community-engagement programme of talks, discussions and workshops.
We already have the commitment of three large performing groups: The Boundstone Chorus, Sir Robert Woodard Academy and Sompting Village Primary School. We hope that many more individuals and groups will join us in this project. Creating our Smuggling Musical from scratch, we will involve instrumentalists, singers, actors and dancers working towards two exciting performances. Our experienced creative team is led by Aedan Kerney MBE - Musical Director; Charlie Olsen – Researcher and Scriptwriter; Christopher Hussey – Composer;
We need your help! Even £2 would go a long way.
In our imagination we can hear the songs, see the smuggling characters from the past and feel the tingle of guilty excitement. Let the songs, characters and excitement be yours as well!!
What we'll deliver
- We will open a window onto the history of our community
- We will help the regeneration of Lancing and Sompting through developing self-confidence and pride
- We will create and share two very special intergenerational public performances
- We will create a showcase for the strong local performing arts talent
- We will create a legacy - the printed copies of the script and musical score can be used again locally and nationally
- We will develop awareness of who we all really are – but move fast to catch us as we are all smugglers!
Why it's a great idea
We all have a romantic attachment to the idea of being a smuggler. In the 19th century smuggling was a part of daily life along the South Coast. We want these long-gone days to come back to life, mixing historical fact with creative imagination. We will bring performers from seven to eighty-seven together to create an amazing community show.
We have an excellent track-record. Three years ago we performed "To Harvest the Dream" (the story of Lancing between the wars) to capacity audiences and last year performed our original "Catherine of Eyam" which traced the moving story of the plague village in Derbyshire.
This is a great idea because:
+It will involve up to 200 performers of different ages
+It will enrich the lives of everyone taking part, either as performers or audience
+It will make the past come alive and give people living in Lancing a greater affinity with the place where they live
+It will be great fun
+It will build on Lancing's tradition of great musical performances
Steps to get it done
- December 2018: completion of the score by Christopher Hussey and printing of vocal scores
- January - March 2019: musical rehearsal of songs by The Boundstone Chorus
- January - March 2019: Christopher Hussey creates the orchestral score and digitised learning tracks for the singers
- April - May 2019: dramatic elements are introduced to the Boundstone Chorus rehearsals
- May - June 2019: the two schools begin to rehearse, particularly during the half-term holiday
- June - July 2019: combined evening rehearsals with all performers
- July 2019: dress rehearsal, performances and feedback
- January - June 2019: programme of talks, discussions and workshops engages the community
